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F1: Force India Unlikely To Run KERS For Rest Of Season

FORCE INDIA IS UNLIKELY to introduce KERS for the remaining races of the season despite initially hoping to have the system installed by July.
As part of the team’s partnership with McLaren, Force India was entitled to have access to the team’s grid-


FORCE INDIA IS UNLIKELY to introduce KERS for the remaining races of the season despite initially hoping to have the system installed by July.

As part of the team’s partnership with McLaren, Force India was entitled to have access to the team’s grid-leading KERS system, which helped propel Lewis Hamilton to victory in Hungary.

With Giancarlo Fisichella denied a win at Spa courtesy of KERS-inspired Kimi Raikkonen, it was expected Force India would install the system at Monza to maximise any chance of clinching race honours.

However, Force India has now moved to quash such speculation, with Chief Operating Officer Simon Roberts saying the recent Valencia aerodynamic update will prevent the team from fitting the device.

He said to Autosport: “We had planned and designed the car to run with KERS, and although up until recently we said we would like to keep the option open, internally we decided the cost for a team like ours was too much.

"Running it was fine, it's just all of the extra equipment you can buy. So we took a strategic decision.

"The Valencia package actually means that we can't use KERS now. We can always go back though because the Silverstone bodywork can take KERS. We'll look at it on a race-by-race-basis."

Meanwhile, championship contender Rubens Barrichello believes Brawn GP may be quicker than rivals Red Bull Racing at Monza next week.

The Italian circuit was previously considered to be a Red Bull-friendly track due to its characteristic mid-to-high speed corners, but the Milton Keyes outfit’s recent woes at Spa has Barrichello convinced Brawn GP could hold the performance edge.

“Our cars are quite good through the kerbs. This is a potential positive item for the race. If you have to take theoretically I would say our car could have all the potential to be stronger than the Red Bulls,” he said.

“Having said that, we saw Force India almost win the race in Belgium, so this is a Formula 1 season that is full of surprises."

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